Basketball Whip-Around: Catching up on the boys’ district tournaments

EASTERN IDAHO — Three district championships were claimed Tuesday, with two of those champions securing spots in next week’s state tournament.

The Snake River Panthers joined the Highland Rams and Bonneville Bees as newly crowned kings of their respective conferences.

In other Tuesday action, Leadore and Grace Lutheran were eliminated in 1A; Grace survived for a winner-take-all game in 2A; Malad was eliminated from the 3A District 5 bracket; South Fremont was knocked out in 4A D6; Century was eliminated in 5A D5; And top-seed Thunder Ridge was eliminated in 6A.

Here is how things stand across eastern Idaho as of Wednesday morning:

6A

D4-5-6
With their 51-43 win over Rigby, the Highland Rams returned to the top of the district mountain, after being eliminated by the Trojans at Highland High School last season.

One state bid remains, with the Canyon Ridge Riverhawks hosting the Trojans for that second-place spot on Thursday. Canyon Ridge earned the right to face Rigby by beating Thunder Ridge, 72-65, Tuesday night.

The Riverhawks will host the game because of their higher seed in the tournament — based on regular-season standings. Canyon Ridge beat Rigby in both regular season meetings.

5A

D5
The Pocatello Thunder earned a rematch with Preston with a 59-52 elimination game victory over Century Tuesday night at Pocatello High School.

Pocatello lost back-to-back matchups with Preston after winning in Preston on Jan. 22.

The winners of the last two state championships will face off Thursday, with the district’s lone state berth up for grabs.

D6
The Bonneville Bees won the district and earned a return trip to the state tournament by beating the Shelley Russets, 81-73, at Bonneville High School on Tuesday.

Bonneville lost to eventual state champion Preston in the 5A semifinals at the state tournament last year, then fell against Twin Falls in the third-place game.

Shelley will now host Blackfoot, the district’s top-seed, on Thursday with a play-in spot in the balance. The Russets beat the Broncos in the first round after losing both matchups during the regular season.

The winner of that game will play Saturday against the D4 runner-up for the state tournament’s final spot.

4A

D5
The 2025 state runner-up Snake River Panthers already owned a spot in the state tournament before a 46-28 victory over the Marsh Valley Eagles Tuesday. The win, though, made Snake River the district champs. The Panthers lost to the Eagles in the district championship game last season.

Marsh Valley, which lost in the state third-place game last season, will return to Nampa in search of some hardware.

D6
Sugar-Salem earned a rematch with Teton by beating South Fremont, 61-44, Tuesday night.

The Diggers, who lost the 4A consolation game last season, were unbeaten on the season until they lost to the Timberwolves on Feb. 11. Teton backed that win up with another road victory in the first round of the district tournament.

Now, Teton can knock out the Diggers with another victory. Sugar-Salem would have to win Thursday and Saturday to earn the district championship and its lone state berth.

3A

D4-5
With a 64-32 win on Tuesday, Wendell eliminated Malad and moved into another elimination game against West Side.

A busy Thursday will feature West Side-Wendell at Wendell High School, as well as a district championship matchup between Declo and Soda Springs at Soda Springs High School.

The Hornets and Cardinals split two regular-season games this season, with the road team winning both times.

The winner of Soda Springs-Declo will be crowned district champs, and the loser will fall into a Saturday matchup with the West Side-Wendell winner. Saturday’s winner will qualify for the state tournament, taking the district second bid.

Soda Springs won the 3A consolation trophy last season. Wendell beat Declo for the 2025 state championship.

D6
The Ririe Bulldogs and Firth Cougars will play on Wednesday for the district championship. Firth would have to win twice, though, to claim the title, after the Bulldogs beat them in the tournament’s first round.

Both teams have already secured spots in the state tournament, with two bids available to the district.

Firth is coming off a third-place finish at the state tournament a year ago.

2A

D5-6
A season-long back-and-forth battle between the Grace Grizzlies and Butte County Pirates continued to be exactly that Tuesday, with Grace beating Butte County to force a winner-take-all game on Thursday.

The Grizzlies, who finished last season’s state tournament with a third-place trophy, and the Pirates have met four times so far this season, splitting the four games.

In two meetings during the district tournament, Grace and Butte County have split a win apiece — with each team claiming a one-point victory. Butte County won the first meeting 54-53, with Grace bouncing back Tuesday for a 59-58 victory.

Now, they play a winner-take-all game Thursday at Aberdeen High School.

1A

D5-6
Taylor’s Crossing defended their home court Tuesday, beating Grace Lutheran 52-50 in an elimination game. The Eagles will now face the Mackay Miners in another elimination game on Thursday at Ririe High School.

The Miners survived their own home elimination game Tuesday, beating Leadore 62-28.

Ririe High will host a pair of massive 1A matchups Thursday, with the Rockland Bulldogs and Watersprings Warriors facing off for the district championship and one of two state bids.

The Rockland-Watersprings loser will face the Taylor’s Crossing-Mackay winner for the second state bid at Ririe High on Saturday.